Wonderland
by Kiana Black
Summary: 'He lifted his other hand and lightly grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. She was so stunned at the emotion swimming in his cerulean orbs that she almost jerked away. But she was frozen in her spot, her feet not listening to her brain. It was like her body was screaming at her, telling her she was right where she belonged.' -OS, NaruHina, Post-War, some SasuSaku too.


**This story sort of wrote itself. I planned a bit but once I started writing, they took it away. But I think I'm happy with how it turned out. I hope you guys are too. This is three/four years post war. Sasuke's returned. Team 7's back in action. Woo! Let's hope this happens in canon too. *Crosses fingers.* Anywho, a bit of SasuSaku, InoShika and a large heaping of NaruHina. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and made no money making this. Also, the title is taken from Taylor Swift's new song, Wonderland. I don't know why I chose it. I just did. **

_**Kiana!**_

**Wonderland**

"Wahhhhh, the sight of Konoha never looked so _good_," Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed loudly, running ahead of his team a few feet. His hands were behind his blond head in a relaxed manner but they all knew just how tired he really was. Their mission had taken a lot out of all of them, but as usual the energetic blond had taken the most in damage and fighting spirit.

"Right? I feel like it's been ages since we've been home," Sakura Haruno agreed on a sigh, her hands clasped behind her back as she walked alongside her lifelong love, Sasuke Uchiha. "I'll be sure to hear of it from mom and dad. This is the longest I've been gone, yet."

"It was definitely quite the mission," the fourth member of their team, Sai, said quietly. He cast a small smile at Naruto when the blond turned to face them while walking, his hands still behind his head.

"But we did good!" Naruto cheered. "Even if Sasuke didn't pull his weight when we – ouch! Sakura-chan!" he whined when she leapt forward and whacked him.

Sasuke grunted in response to Naruto's jab. "Remind me again who pulled who from that creature's jaws?"

Naruto flushed a bit and promptly turned to face forward again, his lips drawn into a frown as he recalled Sasuke's saving of his life. "Pff, I was just caught off guard. I would've been fine…"

"Naruto…" growled Sakura, her small hand clenched into a deadly fist and jade eyes narrowed. "Properly thank Sasuke-kun! You could've died because of your stubborn recklessness! If it hadn't been for Sasuke-kun foreseeing your stupid actions and slicing that beast in two, you'd be lunch meat right now!"

The blond was silent a moment and then shot a glare over his shoulder. "I'm glad you have so much faith in your soon-to-be Hokage!"

"You have a while yet before you become Hokage, Naruto," Sai reminded the blond. "You only just became a Jounin and Tsunade-sama wants you to get more experience on missions before she hands the title over to you."

"I know, I know!" Naruto waved the pale boy's comments away. "Even though I'm already 21," he added in a grumble. "And the village hero…"

"More like village idiot," Sasuke put in calmly, his eyes closed and hands in pockets.

Sakura and Sai quickly leapt to safety as Naruto engaged Sasuke in a battle they were all too familiar with. Sakura sighed, walking ahead of the original Team 7 with Sai beside her. "Why can't they just get along?" she said, not unkindly. She knew, though, that the boy's – men's - relationship was golden now, compared to what it had been three years ago. Three years ago, Sasuke had tried to kill them. Sasuke and Naruto had finally settled it in a battle that almost cost both their lives. In the end though, Sasuke saw sense. Or rather, Naruto knocked the sense into him.

The rose-haired girl smiled slightly, recalling the memory of Naruto half-carrying Sasuke back to them that fateful day. She remembered the tears spilling from her eyes as she stumbled forward, choking on their names. She remembered the relief, the soul-shattering happiness at seeing her team reunited and _alive_. For she had been sure, when they'd begun their battle, that only one would be returning. And it broke her heart to have to sit by helpless, unable to do anything to stop the inevitable fight between the two.

But all she had been able to do was heal them when it was over.

"NARUTO! You're back!" the voice of Konohamaru Sarutobi successfully broke up the boy's fight as Naruto jumped away from Sasuke to wave at his younger friend.

"Yo! Konohamaru! How are things in the village?" Naruto called, his self-importance inflating in front of his number one fan.

"Good, good but guess what?" Konohamaru said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet as they entered the village. "You'll never believe it! You're all here!"

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura, her curiosity getting the best of her. She'd been planning on hurrying home as soon as they arrived.

"You guys, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, Hinata-nee-chan, Lee… everyone! You're all back in the village for the first time in forever!" cried the teen, excitement shining in his dark eyes. He grinned. "You're all here!"

Sakura was surprised as she realized the young Chuunin was right. The original Konoha 12 hadn't been together in the village at the same time in at least a year or more. One team or another was always away on a mission. For them all to be home at the same time… it was a miracle. Sakura blinked. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen Ino, her best friend.

"What! That's great!" said Naruto, nudging Sai and Sasuke. "We should all party!"

"Hn, childish," Sasuke muttered but Naruto grabbed his arm before he could walk away.

"Come on, Sasuke! It's nice to let loose once in a while! And we haven't hung out with everyone in forever! Sakura-chan, you'll come, right?" Naruto begged, locking eyes with his childhood crush pleadingly.

She sighed. "Of course I'm coming. Come on, Sasuke-kun, Naruto's right. Just this once?" she turned her own jade eyes onto her love. He met her eyes and then gave an exasperated sigh that they all took as a 'yes'. When really, he knew arguing or walking away would be pointless for they'd follow him, bantering and badgering until he agreed. He figured he'd save himself the annoyance and attend for a bit before slipping away once they were drunk.

While Konohamaru raced off to gather everyone together, Sai hung back behind the original Team 7. Over the years, he'd gradually begun to feel like he belonged to their team. It had been a bit awkward for him once Sasuke returned, but Naruto had been sure to make Sai feel like he was still one of them. And now, he rarely ever felt like an outsider around them. However, he couldn't help the flash of _something_ _not okay _as they talking about Konoha 12. He wasn't apart of that. And really, though he'd gotten a bit of control over his tactless tongue and confused emotions over the years, he knew the others sometimes felt strange around him still.

Before he could excuse himself though, Naruto spotted him. "Sai! Whatcha doing? Let's go!" the blond cried, as Sakura and Sasuke paused to throw questioning glances back at the pale ninja.

Sai smiled and gave a small nod. He should've known better than to doubt his teammates.

* * *

><p>They had met everyone that evening in front of their favourite bar, Maritans. It was the bar they always got together at and the patrons were used to seeing their large group - the village heroes, and inheritors of the Will of Fire - there. The owner, Maria, didn't mind the rowdiness of the group for the ninja provided entertainment in the form of stories and laughter for the other villagers.<p>

It didn't take long for their table to be full of food and sake, empty plates and cups everywhere. Naruto sat at the end of the long table, his area the messiest. He sighed in contentment. "Ahh, I'm so full!" he exclaimed, letting out a belch that made Sakura and Ino squeal and hit him.

"Sakura-san! What an honour it is to see you here!" Rock Lee exclaimed, his wide eyes bright and hand clutching his chest. He sat across from the rosette and was taking every opportunity to compliment her. "I feel like the missions of our youth have separated us all! I know it's sad but such is the power of youth!"

Sakura resisted an exasperated sigh. "I agree, Lee-san. It's been a while," she said politely, sending the green-clad man a small smile. When would he get over his mislead crush on her? She glanced nervously at the man sitting to her left but he gave no outward reaction to Lee's flirting. Until Lee reached across the messy table to clutch at Sakura's hand and profess his love once more.

Sasuke had rolled his eyes the moment Lee had begun speaking but only one person saw. Naruto gave him a nudge, spotting Sasuke's irritated look and guessing its source. The Uchiha sent him a glare that Naruto expertly ignored. When Lee grasped Sakura's hand, both boys gave a twitch though. Sasuke turned his glare to Konoha's Green Beast but Lee didn't take heed.

It was Naruto who spoke though. "Oi! Bushy Brows!" he shouted, drawing the attention of the table. "Hasn't Sakura-chan rejected you yet?" His voice was slightly slurred from his fourth cup of sake.

"N-N-Naruto!" Sakura snapped, eyes wide and cheeks flushing.

"Rejection is but something all youth must face! If I give up because of that, I'll do 11,999 laps around the village!" Lee cried with his usual flair.

Sasuke grunted. He hadn't missed this fool.

Naruto waved Lee's response away. "Give up, idiot. She's in love with Sa- ouch!" he was cut off with a loud yelp when Sakura's fist collided with his head. He gulped at the anger in her eyes. Whoops.

"Naruto…" she growled. "You idiot! Mari-san, more sake please!" She needed to get drunk. She could feel Sasuke's eyes on her but ignored him, turning instead to Ino sitting on her right. The blonde beauty gave Sakura a mischievous smile. She knew what Naruto had been about to reveal and Sakura hated the glint in her best friend's blue eyes.

"Sakura," Ino drawled, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Tell the great Ino of your progress. Last I heard, you were barely speaking to him. But now you two seem _pretty _cozy together." Ino was, of course, referring to Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. Things had been a bit tense when Sasuke had first come back, as Sakura had been unsure how to act around him. He had tried to kill her after all. Mind you, she had also tried to kill him. The fact that she wouldn't have been able to in the end counted for nothing. They had a lot of issues to get past before things could go back to normal. Even now, Sakura still felt like she was walking on eggshells around him, always watching her words, her touches.

Things had changed. And she didn't know if they would ever go back to normal.

But Sakura wasn't the only one who had changed. Sasuke had changed toward her as well. He was still curt, still didn't talk much to her. But she noticed he would listen when she talked, would walk at her pace and even opened doors for her. And the biggest part was on their missions. She was always the first he protected, the first he shielded and the first he checked on after battles. She rationalized that it was because she was the medic. If she got injured or killed, the team would fall apart. He was only looking out for the team.

And yet, Sakura couldn't help but hope for more.

* * *

><p>Hinata sat in between Lee and Sai, two seats down from Naruto and across from Sakura and Ino. She saw Sakura blush and easily figured out the topic of conversation must be a certain Uchiha. She giggled a bit as she saw Sasuke's eyes slide to the rosette and then back to his best friend. She wondered how Sakura didn't see it?<p>

Sasuke Uchiha loved Sakura Haruno.

It seemed so obvious to everyone but the two themselves. Thinking about it caused Hinata to think of her own love story, and her cheeks grew hot as her eyes landed on the blond loudmouth. He was chugging his sake, trying to get Sasuke and Kiba to engage in a drinking contest with him. Kiba was rising to the challenge easily, but Sasuke resisted, rolling his eyes at the two.

"You're just afraid to lose!" Naruto shouted. He got louder the drunker he became. It also got increasingly harder to understand him. "Come _on_, Sasuke! Drink!"

Hinata had a feeling the only reason Sasuke wasn't drinking was so he didn't do anything to embarrass himself in front of everyone. That, and probably so he could get Sakura and Naruto home safely. Someone had to stay sober. Again, she wondered how no one saw just how much he actually cared for his friends.

"Hinata-chan…" drawled Sakura and the dark-haired woman turned to see her friends staring at her.

"W-what is it?" she asked, immediately worried there was something on her face. She reached a hand to her cheek, feeling for pieces of rice.

Ino and Sakura giggled. "We noticed," slurred Ino, "that you've been… _staring_." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and Hinata flushed.

"At both Naruto _and _Sasuke-kun!" added Sakura, trying to look stern. "Is there something we should know?"

"W-what? N-no, no! I just…" Hinata's cheeks were on fire. Did her friends think she liked Sasuke? That was impossible. Hinata could never love anyone but Naruto. Her cheeks flushed even further at her own thoughts. "I was just observing," she finished quietly.

But the girls had both moved on, having noticed Hinata's empty glass. "You need to drink, Hinata-chan!" Sakura cried, pushing her own glass of sake across the table to the dark-haired kunoichi.

"Drink, drink!" Ino put in, before collapsing in a fit of giggles. How much had she had? Hinata wondered and then counted five empty glasses in front of the blonde. _Oh dear…_

Ino was raising her own glass to her lips when it was snatched from her hands. "I think you've had enough," Shikamaru's quiet voice drawled from Ino's other side. She immediately protested, leaning across her boyfriend for her glass. He chugged it before she could grab it and sent her a small smile when she cried out.

Hinata giggled softly, her hand lifted to cover her mouth. She skimmed her eyes over the table again, checking on all her friends, but gasped when her gaze met with a cerulean blue. _N-Naruto-kun_… he smiled a bit when he caught her gaze and then returned to his drinking game as if nothing happened. Hinata, however, was having trouble catching her breath. _Our eyes met… our eyes met! He was staring at me… why? _

The two had never really had the chance to talk since the war ended, since Hinata had confessed to him. She didn't let it bother her. After all, she tried not to think of her embarrassing confession. And since Naruto never brought it up, clearly it meant he didn't want to think of it either. She understood. He loved Sakura. She didn't need the Byakugan to see that. And if him avoiding her meant she was safe from hearing him reject her, she was fine with that. Anyway, it wasn't like she confessed to him to hear his reaction. She just wanted him to understand.

_I love him._

* * *

><p>The interaction didn't go unnoticed by the two drunken girls sitting across from Hinata. Sakura sighed, biting on her lip angrily. "Why is he so stupid?" she grumbled, Ino nodding beside her. When Sakura was drunk, her Inner Sakura tended to show more and so she let her anger at her dense blond friend emerge. "She's been in love with him for <em>so <em>long and he knows! He knows now and yet he won't do anything about it!" her voice gradually began to rise without her knowing.

Sasuke sent her a small, warning look that she missed.

When Hinata excused herself to make a trip to the bathroom, Sakura jumped at the chance. "_Naruto_," she snapped, her tone making his gaze fly to her. "Are you an idiot?"

"W-what?" the blond whimpered in the face of her anger, blue eyes wide. "What did I do now?"

Sakura sighed, blowing pink bangs away from her face. "Hinata-chan! Have you talked to her at _all_?"

Naruto stilled, his eyes wide with surprise and lips parted.

"I mean, really, Naruto. It's so frustrating to watch. I can't help but feel sorry for her. We know she confessed to you –"

"What?" many voices down the table exclaimed. Clearly, not everyone knew. Kiba's outrage was clear. "Hinata confessed to this moron? And you guys aren't together yet? What the hell, Naruto?! Did you reject her?"

"N-no!" Naruto cried. "It wasn't really like that – I mean, she did confess but…" Naruto seemed at a loss and Sakura vaguely noted his red cheeks. It didn't deter her though.

"She did! She confessed. She's been in love with this tool for like seven years!" Ino added. "Even when no one at the academy liked you, Hinata did. Even when you failed, she cheered you on. When we spurned you, she felt for you, wishing she had the courage to speak to you! Why do you think she always went as red as a tomato around you. Jesus, Naruto, why are you such an idiot?"

"Listen, this is… I need to do this on my own, just stay out of –" but the blond could barely get a word in before someone was talking over him. He had quickly sobered at the topic of conversation and knew that Hinata would be back at any moment. She didn't need to hear this. He wished they would all shut up or change the subject. He slammed his fist on the table to get their attention. "Just shut up!"

"We won't! Not until you see sense," Sakura insisted angrily. Her jade eyes glared at him. "I watched for too long, Naruto. I know you're probably still in love with me but we'll never be a thing. And I… I don't deserve you," she calmed a bit at that and Naruto's eyes widened. "Hinata deserves you! Hinata has been there for you all this time but you never acknowledged her feelings, Naruto. How do you think that made her feel? When you ignored her confession, don't you think it meant you rejected her? You moron! She's probably been crying –"

"S-stop!"

The tear-stricken, desperate voice made them all fall deadly silent and Sakura lifted her eyes to meet the lavender gaze of the one they were talking about. She sobered immediately, shame flooding her as she saw Hinata's expression. The Hyuuga heiress looked on the verge of tears, her cheeks red and gaze horrified. "Please," Hinata added quietly. Sakura wondered how much she'd heard. From the look in her eyes, she guessed she'd heard enough.

Hinata had returned in time to hear Ino's comment. For a moment, she'd been too stunned to do anything, to say anything. Of course she'd know what they were talking about. And she'd been frozen to the spot. She knew she needed to reveal herself before it got worse but then Naruto had spoken and she wanted to hear. But she'd heard enough. Naruto didn't want her; he wanted Sakura. And Sakura had inadvertently just rejected him. He must be hurt now. _Damn it,_ tears leaked from her eyes as she wished she'd intervened sooner.

And then Sakura had insulted Naruto and blamed him. But he hadn't done anything wrong. And Hinata couldn't bear to listen to them berate him like that over her. "I… I didn't c-c-confess for a response," she said quietly, staring at the ground, away from all of them. Her face was hot. She clasped her trembling hands in front of her chest, her fingers turning white from how tight she was clenching them. "It was a desperate situation. I just wanted N-N-Naruto-kun to understand. That's why! Don't blame him! N-Naruto-kun didn't do anything wrong!" She finally lifted her gaze at her last, desperate cry and met the shocked gazes of the table.

Mostly, they couldn't believe she was sticking up for him. Still, after all this time. After he basically ignored her feelings. She was still sticking up for him. Sakura's temper flared again, but Sasuke caught her hand under the table and when she looked at him, he jerked his head toward Naruto. She looked at her dense teammate and her eyes widened. He was so red! His own blue eyes were wide, staring at Hinata in unadulterated shock and something else. Something Sakura recognized but couldn't name. Something she felt when she looked at – she gasped. Did Naruto love Hinata after all? She couldn't help it; she squeezed Sasuke's hand in excitement. He looked at her briefly and then closed his eyes with a small smirk.

Hinata felt her face flush even more at the attention of the table. She wanted to run away, but her feet felt glued to the floor. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. She could feel hot tears sliding down her cheeks. Had she really just said that? Where did her small burst of courage come from? But she knew the answer. It came from where it always came from. _Naruto-kun. _She had wanted to protect Naruto from them.

"I…" she trailed off, floundering for something else to say to prove to them that she really was okay. But then her eyes met the object of her affection and she was undone. His gaze was shocked, his cheeks red. He looked like she'd confessed to him all over again. He was staring at her and she felt herself flinch away. Was he going to reject her? Now that the confession had been brought up, was he going to reject her in front of everyone? No! She couldn't handle that. Her eyes went wide, tears still slipping free. She shook her head a bit and she was suddenly in control of her feet again. She jerked away. "I'm sorry!" she cried, feeling like a coward as she turned and ran from the restaurant.

The table sat in silence after her rapid departure. Sakura felt ashamed. All of her righteous, Inner-Sakura had faded and she was left with the burning feeling of shame. What had she done? She had intervened when she had no right. She felt awful. She would have to apologize to Hinata. Even if Naruto did love her, Sakura had no right barging in and throwing her thoughts at him like that. He would confess to Hinata in his own time. For all she knew, Sakura may have just made things worse. Hinata had looked _afraid _of Naruto before she'd fled. Afraid of rejection? Probably.

The scraping of a chair brought them all to attention as their gazes snapped to Naruto. He stood up, face determined, and without a word he hurried after Hinata.

"It's okay, Sakura," said Ino, sensing the rosette's worries. "I think he really does love her."

"He does," said Sai, shocking everyone. "Sorry. I overheard him tell you, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke's eyes opened and he shrugged when Sakura looked at him in surprise. "Hn. It was none of my business," he said quietly, answering her non-verbal question of why he didn't tell her.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered, hope filling her. She squeezed Sasuke's hand again; she was surprised he hadn't pulled away.

_Please let it work out for those two…_

* * *

><p>Naruto raced from the bar, eyes frantically scanning the streets for a sign of black, purple and white. <em>Where did she go? <em>He couldn't get the look on her face out of his mind. She had looked so scared. _Of me_? It had to have been because of him. She'd only run after meeting his eyes and cringing. He never wanted to see her make that expression because of him again.

Even though Sakura's timing had been bad, Naruto knew she was right. Every word she said was right. He had made Hinata wait way too long. But to be honest, he just didn't know what to do. He wasn't good with this stuff. It took him forever to just get it through his head that she _liked _him. He had no idea how someone like Hinata Hyuuga could like him. What could she possibly see in him? And if the others were right, if she had liked him since their genin days… all he could ask himself was _why_?

But he had wasted far too much time doubting. It was time to take action. The look on her face had told him that. If he didn't act now, he could lose her love forever.

He still hadn't thought of what he would say when he finally spotted her. She was walking in the direction of her home, her arms folded across her stomach as if she were holding herself together. He could see her slender shoulders trembling beneath her purple shirt and a wave of protectiveness swept over him so fast it almost made him falter. He clenched his fists determinedly and called out her name.

Hinata immediately stopped, literally halted in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were impossibly wide and he knew she hadn't expected anyone, least of all him, to come after her. "N-N-Naruto-kun…" she murmured. She looked forward again and seemed to hesitate a moment. Then she turned toward him, watching him warily through her lashes.

For all his bravado, Naruto could only stare at her. He let his gaze sweep over her; over her long, navy hair, her shy, lavender eyes surrounded by dark eyelashes, her small nose and her pink lips. He couldn't help but linger on the latter. Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet hers again. She immediately reddened and now that he knew her colour was because of him, he found it absolutely adorable. "Hinata," he said softly.

She swallowed, reaching up to tuck her dark hair behind her ear. "Um… Naruto-kun… a-about earlier… I'm sorry, for my outburst."

Naruto shook his head frantically, stepping toward her as his nervousness faded a bit in the face of hers. "No," he said. "I'm the one who has to apologize, Hinata."

Her eyes widened, and she stepped backward, lifting her hands as if to ward herself against his words. "N-No, please. It's fine. I understand. Really, N-Naruto-kun, you've never needed to tell me. I… I know you love her…" she bit her lip and turned away.

Shocked at her words, it took him a moment to register that she was leaving. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, sliding down it. His fingers closed around her slender wrist and he heard her gasp. _She thinks I still love Sakura-chan. Hell, everyone, even Sakura-chan, thinks I still love her. _"Hinata, I'm… I'm not rejecting you!" he finally blurted it out, feeling his face flame. He flushed further when he realized he could feel her heart pounding through her wrist. He was sure his heartbeat currently matched hers. Just touching her arm made his heart leap. He'd never felt like this before.

As she felt like the ground had been swept out from under her, Naruto noticed the looks they were getting from those around them. He gulped. "Can we… can we go somewhere else?" he asked. "I really want to talk to you."

She didn't trust her voice so she merely gave him a tiny nod. He began to walk, and then realized he still had a hold of her arm. He quickly dropped it, his cheeks flushing again. "S-sorry," he murmured.

Hinata absently rubbed her wrist; she could still feel his hand on her. Her face was so hot, she was sure she had never blushed so much. Naruto… wasn't rejecting her? Did that mean… could she possibly hope for…? She couldn't even finish the thought. She didn't want to be disappointed. She was sure he probably just wanted to let her down easily. Because, surely, _surely_ there was no way Naruto Uzumaki would ever return her feelings. It was impossible. She knew it. And she knew better than to get her hopes up. It would only hurt that much more when he turned her down.

Why did Sakura have to bring all this up? Hinata inwardly whined. She was _happy_. Hinata was happy just being in the same room as Naruto. She was happy just watching him - hearing his laugh, seeing the light in his pretty blue eyes, listening to his jokes. It was enough for her. But now, after he rejected her, everything would change.

They reached a small park and Naruto led her over to the swings, where he gestured for her to sit. She obediently did, her trembling legs sighing in relief. Her whole body felt on edge because of her nerves. She folded her hands in her lap and chanced a look up. Naruto stood in front of her, rocking back on his heels, his hands shoved into his pants pockets. He wasn't looking at her, his blue eyes fixed on the night sky.

She had a feeling he was gathering his words. The words needed to reject her? She bit her lip, throwing her gaze back to the ground as her stomach flipped uncomfortably. She squeezed her eyes shut. _I don't want to hear it! _

"Hinata," he finally began and she tried to prepare herself. "Thank you."

_What? _She whipped her eyes to him in surprise. "N-Naruto-kun?"

He smiled. "I've been trying to think of the right thing to say but I was missing the obvious. Hinata… you've helped me so much. During the war, when… when Neji died… I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there. If you weren't so strong."

"Strong?" she said before she could stop herself. "N-Naruto-kun, I'm only strong because of y-you."

"Mm," he nodded, stepping forward to clench the chains of her swing. "Exactly. Thank you, Hinata, for thinking of me all this time. During our academy days, they said… they said you liked me back then, too?"

Her face going as red as a tomato again, she nodded.

"I'm sorry I never noticed," he said. He smiled as he swung the swing and brought her closer to him before releasing it and letting her swing away from him. "I'm sort of an idiot, right? All this time, you've been right in front of me. I'm sorry… Hinata, for making you wait."

She was suddenly on her feet, her eyes wide and quickly filling with tears. "No, N-Naruto-kun doesn't have anything to apologize for," she said softly, nervously. What did he mean? What did his words mean? What was he trying to tell her? Did she dare get her hopes up? _No, Hinata. He's only thanking you. _"You have Sakura-chan," she said softly. "How could I expect you to notice me when you're in love with her?"

He scoffed, shaking his head. "I stopped loving Sakura-chan that way years ago, Hinata. She has Sasuke. Even though he's a bastard, the two are somehow made for each other. She belongs with Sasuke, and honestly, I'm happy for them. I love them both. But what I feel about you is definitely different."

She shook her head, stepping back a bit. She refused to believe him. There was no way he meant what she hoped he meant. So she shut herself down. She didn't want to hear this. "It's l-late. I should get home…"

Naruto wanted to groan in frustration. How could he make her _understand_? How could he make her see that he was telling the truth? How could he prove to her that he loved her too? His face hot, he reached out and caught her hand. She gasped, turning lavender eyes on him in surprise. Before he could chicken out, he tugged her to him. "Hinata," he said quietly, as her free hand landed on his chest when she stumbled into the blond.

The sound of her name on his lips nearly had her melting at his feet. She flushed, looking left, right, anywhere but at him.

He lifted his other hand and lightly grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. She was so stunned at the emotion swimming in his cerulean orbs that she almost jerked away. But she was frozen in her spot, her feet not listening to her brain. It was like her body was screaming at her, telling her she was right where she belonged.

"Naruto-kun," she whispered, managing to get his name out without stuttering for once. She was too entranced to be surprised. She was so close she could see the specks of lighter blue in his eyes. His blond hair was falling into his face and she wanted to push it away. Naturally, she stayed still. But she couldn't drag her gaze away from him. He had her right where he wanted.

He hesitated though. He knew what he wished to do. But did he do it? It would probably be her first. It was his first (he didn't count his accidental kiss with Sasuke-the-jerk in their genin days). However, surely it would make her realize just how serious he was.

Naruto decided. He'd give her plenty of time to pull away. He'd even warn her. "Hinata," he murmured, leaning down a bit. Was she always so much smaller than him? "I'm… I'm planning on kissing you. If… if you don't want me to… if it's not okay… you can push me away, okay?"

Hinata was too stunned to do anything but stare at him wide-eyed. Did he seriously just say that? _K-kiss… kiss? A kiss with Naruto-kun_? It was suddenly too much. The mere thought almost made her legs buckle under her but still she couldn't look away as he leaned down. _I'd never push you away, _was her last thought before he met her lips and halted her mind's voice.

Their first kiss was sweet and Naruto was astounded at how soft, warm and yielding her lips were. He cupped her face with one hand, marvelling at the smoothness of her cheek and used the hand holding hers to pull her against him. Her small hands clenched his jacket. It wasn't enough; he wanted her closer. But when he felt her trembling, he knew he had to keep things light. So he separated their lips but moved his forehead to rest against hers, keeping his eyes shut.

The words slipped from his mouth of their own accord, his top lip brushing her bottom as he spoke them. "I love you too, Hinata."

The Hyuuga heiress gasped, her breath stolen away as her eyes snapped open. And that was it for her. The impact of his words – words she never thought she'd hear – sunk in and her shaking legs buckled beneath her. She fell, and Naruto came down with her so that they sat close together in the sand.

_I'm dreaming. I have to be_, she shook her head, hardly aware of the tears filling her eyes. Before she knew it, she was weeping. She wasn't sure why. She wasn't sad. "N-Naruto-kun," she choked out, clenching her fists in his jacket so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Naruto-kun," she said again. "I love you…" she reached a hand up and tried to wipe her tears away but they kept coming.

Naruto swallowed hard at her tears. Why was she crying? Wasn't she happy? Was the kiss too much? Was it bad? The worries flew through his mind and he reached up, grasping her hand to pull it away from her face. But she said she loved him. So it was okay, right? He cupped her face with both his hands, wiping her cheeks with his thumbs. He couldn't get over how soft her skin was. He'd never been so close with a girl before. His hands looked so big on either side of her face.

He kissed her again before he could stop himself. She responded immediately, her lips moving against his. He could taste the salt on her lips from her tears. He pulled away, still caressing her cheeks. "I'm sorry it took so long, Hinata-chan," he smiled. "But I finally see. Thank you for waiting for me. I love you," he kissed her once more, lightly, as if to prove his point.

Hinata cried his name, lifting a hand to bravely put it over top of his. "Me too, N-Naruto-kun. I love you so much," she cried, closing her eyes as he kissed her forehead.

They sat together for a while, Hinata with her face pressed to his shoulder and Naruto's arms wrapped around her. Hinata still felt like she was in a dream but she knew even the best of her dreams couldn't compare with this. Naruto's shoulder was hard against her cheek and she could feel his heart thumping in her ear.

Finally, Naruto was the first to pull away and Hinata immediately missed his warmth. He ran a hand over her shoulder, down her side until he found her hand. Then he grinned. "So you'll go on a date with me?"

She giggled shyly, her cheeks colouring again. But she nodded, gracing him with a genuine, warm smile.

Naruto laughed and leaned forward to kiss her.

* * *

><p>When he showed his beaming face to his friends the next day, it didn't take a genius to figure out why the blond was so happy.<p>

**End.**


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